Suyash Sinha, Associate at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co on how he benefited from NUJS business law diploma course

Suyash Sinha graduated from College of Legal Studies, University of Petroleum & Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun in 2014 and was part of the first batch of Diploma in Entrepreneurship Administration and Business Laws. He took the course when he was in his fourth year of his college. Currently he is working as an Associate with Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. in the Direct Tax team.

Suyash has extensively benefitted from the business law diploma from NUJS. Not only he could showcase his knowledge during his internship which ultimately helped him in getting a job in Amarchand Mangaldas, but he actually managed to advice startups even before he graduated from his college.

Over to Suyash

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I read about the NUJS Business Law Diploma one summer when I was surfing on Lawctopus. I went through the course curriculum that was planned but perhaps what motivated me to join the course most was the conviction and dedication to a more responsible legal knowledge imparting system that the founders wanted to create. I did some research and was reassured of their dedication to legal education. Moreover, at that point in time, nobody offered a good glance at the practical nuances of pursuing law as a career.

I joined the course’s first batch and at that time there were only a few modules on the online portal with promises of many interactive live and video sessions from people with a varied experience in the field of corporate law, all of which was delivered.

The course helped gain a keener insight of the issues that business face and understand how the whole legal industry actually revolves around the extant business needs. Thus, having a commercial understanding of issues was paramount.

Not being from a top-tier law school, I accept that it is quite hard to get a job at BigLaw. Having said that, it is only through internships that a law student like me could hope to get noticed and picked up. However, what is most important I feel, during the short stints you get at the internship programs offered by law firms, is to show that you really want what you are there to do. Moreover, basic human values do not get unnoticed. If you are sincere and honest towards your work, it shows. And I might add, is widely appreciated too.

This course has immensely helped me during my internship. Since the course provides a good insight into not just one or two but many areas of law and keeps you abreast with emerging issues in the field of law even if you do not read a lot otherwise, it provides a good compilation of all the things you need to know and show case your knowledge during your internship. Thumbs up to your team for that!

I have also had the chance to advice and work with some start-ups during the 4th and fifth year of law school and the most basic of questions that would be asked was related to incorporation. Should they form a company, or a partnership, LLP or perhaps a proprietorship to kickstart their business? That was the very first module for the batch I joined. The modules on structuring a business, raising investment, Intellectual property, taxation and institutional finance particularly were very helpful to me as well as to some of my friends whom I advised for their start-ups.

Consulting start-ups is an exhilarating experience because the energy all around is very different, there are changing needs, low capital threshold and it is very critical to find out the right entity structure to incorporate and draft contracts that suit the expected business model while keeping in mind the dynamic needs of a growing business. In fact, I would say all that experience from consulting startups have not gone waste. And what’s better than getting that experience first-hand at such an early stage of your career. If nothing else, it definitely helps you develop a well-informed understanding and perspective about a career in Entrepreneurship and legal consulting.

I had also attended the Contract drafting exercise conducted by iPleaders at Delhi. The exercise and discussion helped me understand how important it is to for an agreement to be worded correctly, and more importantly that it identifies and highlights the interests and intentions of your client.

(Editor’s note:The course currently conducts a drafting exercise as part of the course assessment scheme, which enables the students to apply their knowledge in a practical manner.)

I have mentioned about the Diploma in Entrepreneurship Administration and Business Laws it in my CV, and I believe it has had a positive impact on my recruiters. Infact, in some of the interviews we discussed at length about commercial understanding under different scenarios.

Currently I am working as an Associate with Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. in the Direct Tax team.
My work comprises of a good mix of Income-tax litigation and advisory. We represent our clients before tax authorities at different stages of appeal and even before the Income tax Appellate Tribunal. Besides representing clients on assessment and exemption related issues, I have also had the chance to advise my clients on a variety of issues related to tax residency, tax withholding, taxation of Charitable Institutions and taxation of perquisites etc.

Though my current profile keeps me on my feet. I enjoy the sense of responsibility and discipline that BigLaw instills in you. A good work ethic is the core of a good legal career and I plan to stick to taxation as my preferred field of practise. I have had the privilege of learning from some of the best minds in the legal industry and I plan to learn more before I decide to branch out
or move on.

However, I would love to work with start-ups as and when such opportunities arise, as I already mentioned I have enjoyed working with start-ups in the past. So that is definitely something I plan to continue doing in the foreseeable future.

I have been recommending this course to my peers and juniors, some of whom have even benefited from it. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone who wants to understand the legal issues revolving around different business. Be it law students, entrepreneurs, existing businessmen, management students or Engineering students. At the end of the day we are all working in some or the other industry and having a good understanding of your business and the industry practice along with regulatory guidance is pivotal for sustenance and success.

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